MLD Configuration on Huawei Routers
Overview of MLD
MLD or shortly known as the Multicast Listener Discovery is a protocol that would be managing IPv6 multicast members. The MLD protocol would be setting up and maintaining memberships between IPv6 hosts and their directly connected multicast routers by substituting MLD messages between them. MLD messages would be encapsulated in IPv6 packets. If you are looking forward to having Huawei Certification, you must check out the training courses which are being offered at the SPOTO Club.
Purpose
IPv4 multicast would be efficiently addressing the problem of point-to-multipoint data transmission. This technology would efficiently transmit data from one point to multiple points over a network, saving network bandwidth as well as reducing network loads. The IPv4 multicast application is considered to be further enhanced in IPv6. MLD would be working on an IPv6 network in the same way the IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) works on an IPv4 network, but the two protocols would be defining different message formats.
MLD would be defining how to maintain group memberships between multicast routers as well as hosts on a network segment. The below-mentioned figure would be showing where the MLD protocol would be running on an IPv6 multicast network.
MLD deployment on an IPv6 multicast network
Configuring Basic MLD Functions
By configuring basic MLD functions on an interface of a multicast device which would be connected with the user network segment, you would be able to enable a user host to access the multicast network as well as receive multicast data packets.
Establishing the Configuration Task
Before configuring basic MLD functions, you are required to familiarize yourself with the applicable environment, pre-configuration tasks, as well as required data. This would be able to help you out to complete the configuration task accurately and quickly.
Applicable Environment
MLD is applicable to the switch as well as the hosts directly connected to the switch. The hosts and switch which would be required to run MLD. This section would be only describing how to configure MLD on a switch.
You are required to be enabling IPv6 multicast routing before configuring MLD. IPv6 multicast routing is considered to be the prerequisite for configuring IPv6 multicast functions. If the IPv6 multicast routing would be disabled, all IPv6 multicast configurations are deleted.
Enable MLD on the interface which would be connected to hosts. For different MLD versions, MLD packets are considered different; therefore, you would be required to configure matching MLD versions for switches and hosts. Other MLD configurations could be done only after the preceding operations would be complete. In order to enable hosts in the network segment to which the interface is connected for joining the specified groups as well as receive packets to the groups, you could set a group policy on the related interface to limit the range of groups that the interface serves.
Pre-configuration Tasks
Before configuring basic MLD functions, you are required to configure a unicast routing protocol for interconnecting the entire multicast domain.
Data Preparation
So as to configure basic MLD functions, you would be required to have the following data.
Checking the Configuration
After configuring basic MLD functions, inspecting the configuration as well as running information about MLD on the interface and memberships of MLD multicast groups for ensuring that MLD would be running normally.
Procedure
- Running the display mld interface [ interface-type interface-number ] [ verbose ] command for checking the MLD configuration as well as running information on an interface.
- Running the display mld group [ ipv6-group-address | interface interface-type interface-number ] * [ static ] [ verbose ] command for checking information on members of an MLD multicast group.
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